LIMA, Peru — President Dina Boluarte of Peru announced on Tuesday that the country plans to hold general elections a year from now as a measure to resolve years of political instability.
Boluarte, who faces significant unpopularity, stated that the elections scheduled for April 2026 will determine a new president, along with 130 deputies and 60 senators. This will reintroduce a bicameral legislative system that has not been used since the early 1990s.
In a brief televised address nationwide, Boluarte did not specify whether she intends to run for office herself. She took over the presidency in 2022, succeeding Pedro Castillo who was ousted in an attempt to dissolve Congress and avert his impeachment merely two years into his five-year mandate.
Boluarte emphasized that the proposed elections will be conducted in a “democratic, clean, transparent, and orderly” fashion.
Currently, Boluarte holds a 93% disapproval rating, according to a Datum Internacional poll conducted in March. Her presidency is scheduled to conclude on July 28, 2026.
Recently, the Peruvian Congress removed the interior minister following claims he mishandled efforts to tackle rising crime rates in the country.
The public outcry has intensified over the increase in violent activities, especially following the death of Paul Flores, the 39-year-old lead singer of the cumbia band Armonía 10. Flores was shot to death in an attack on his band’s tour bus after a performance in Lima.
In response to the killing, Boluarte declared a state of emergency in the capital on March 19, ordering military forces to aid police efforts against the crime wave. Concurrently, opposition lawmakers initiated a vote of no confidence against the interior minister.
Boluarte’s administration had previously declared a state of emergency from September to December as a measure to reduce violence.
Authorities reported an increase in homicides, with 2,057 reported in 2024, up from 1,506 in 2023.